


Love of a Child

by Bishop_Strode



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Ani is a cinnamon role, Fee and Xan went with them, Gay Anakin Skywalker, He and Padme are just friends, Mpreg, Multi, Obi left the order with Ani cuz he's a good brother, a damaged one, but still an angel, mentions of rape/non-canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:27:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25722835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bishop_Strode/pseuds/Bishop_Strode
Summary: Anakin Skywalker is a pregnant fifteen year old living on Naboo with his three adopted brothers. He is traumatized and broken by the latest events in his life, but the new life he hopes to build with the support of his family will help him heal.
Relationships: Feemor & Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker & Xanatos
Comments: 5
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

Obi-Wan walked through the front door of his family's lakeside home, carrying a bag of produce that he had collected at the marketplace in Theed. Almost immediately, he was greeted by the smell of shaak meat being cooked in the kitchen.

"Obi!" Feemor said, smiling from his place at the kitchen stove, where he was grilling shaak leg. "You're back. Did you get the vegetables for the stew?"

"I did. I hope I wasn't too late?"

"Not at all. I only just started cooking the meat," Feemor said happily. "Ani will be so happy. This is one of his favorite meals."

Obi-Wan smiled warmly at his elder brother Padawan. A lot had changed in the past five years, himself included. Since Qui-Gon's passing six years ago, Obi-Wan had grown in his beard, as well as his hair, which had grown long enough that he could now tie it back in an elegant ponytail. Feemor himself had also grown his hair out, the pale blonde strands growing beautifully past his shoulders, added with his green casual robes making him look almost regal.

"Where are Ani and Xan?" Obi-Wan asked, looking around for his second oldest brother and younger.

Feemor chuckled. "Xanatos is practicing his forms in the field. Ani is at the dock."

A very brief, miniscule spark of concern hit Obi-Wan, a tiny frown appearing on his face. "Alone?"

"He is fine, Obi. Xan and I have been watching him through the bond all day. He merely wanted to relax."

Obi-Wan allowed himself to relax, trusting his elder's words. Feemor gave him a soft smile. "Why don't you go fetch him? He'll be happy to see you are home."

Nodding, Obi-Wan left out the back door of the home. The Jinn Property, as the brothers had dubbed it in honor of their late master and father figure, was a beautiful house situated in the Lake Country. While not as big as some of the other private estates in area, the mesa it inhabited was just as pleasing. Wide meadows of grass and wildflowers, an abundance of friendly animals, and beautiful lakes and waterfalls. Unlike most other properties, though, it lacked a ranch or farm, but they were still able to make ends meets to support themselves.

His sandaled feet treading through the stone path leading out to the backyard, Obi-Wan immediately made out the small figure of his little brother. Anakin sat on the edge of the dock, leaning against a side post as his bare feet hung lazily off the side into the water. His long, sandy blonde hair was let down, fluttering easily in the breeze, while his hands rested upon his very round, very pregnant stomach.

It warmed Obi-Wan's heart to see Anakin looking so relaxed, so peaceful. He had been in such a deep depression for so long, that to see him like this was an unbelievably huge releif.

Anakin had been a member of the Jedi Order for roughly four and a half years before his abduction. It had been a simple diplomatic mission to Deralia on the Outer Rim. Obi-Wan was chosen to lead the negotiations and opted to bring the fourteen year old Anakin along with him to give him a lesson in the diplomatic abilities of the Jedi. As someone who always loved flying and exploring new places, Anakin preened at the opportunity to leave the confines of the Jedi Temple, to see a new world and meet new people.

They were not even on Deralia for a day before Anakin was taken.

The Bando Gora had done it. A Force-sensitive cult, they had been thought to have been wiped out in the years before Naboo, but they evidently still had groups active in the galaxy. One particular group had been on Deralia, and were drawn in by Anakin's enormous Force signature.

The boy had been tired by the long space journey, so Obi-Wan had left him alone in their temporary quarters to rest. He had left him with guards, people he could trust. Unfortunately, those people hadn't been any match for Force-sensitive mercenaries. They had slaughtered the guards, and placed a Force-inhibiting collar on Anakin before he could even try to defend himself. Obi-Wan had heard his Padawan screaming for help through their bond moments before the signature was cut. To Obi-Wan, it had been agonizing, become deaf to his Force bond.

For Anakin, however, it was like dying.

Losing one's connection to the Force so abruptly, whether temporary or not, was a horrible thing to feel. What's worse is that Anakin had been a prisoner of the Bando Gora for five weeks, and during that time he had been tortured, assaulted, and starved.

Obi-Wan had gone on a warpath. The Council had advised him to wait while they investigated leads. For a time, Obi-Wan had little choice but to abide by their rules, but after two week of no results, he had had enough. With zeal and righteousness that would make his old master Qui-Gon proud, Obi-Wan left Coruscant and sought out some old friends of his. Specifically, his dear brother Padawans.

Anakin had been introduced to Feemor and Xanatos individually at different moments since he became Obi-Wan's Padawan learner. He had met Xanatos first, and was more than intimidated by the dark-looking man, instinctively hiding behind Obi-Wan's robes when his piercing blue eyes peered at him almost judgingly. Obi-Wan had met Xanatos' stare with a defiant glare of his own, and Anakin had been afraid some sort of confrontation would occur until both men suddenly burst out laughing and hugged each other warmly.

Then Xanatos had knelt down before the then-ten year old Anakin, and with a cocky smirk, he ruffled the boy's blonde hair.

"It's a honor to meet you, Skywalker," he said. "It's about time Kenobi got himself an apprentice. Force knows Qui-Gon couldn't keep him out of trouble."

Anakin had ignored Obi-Wan's indignant squawks in favor of giggling at the dark man's words, and the three Jedi spent the rest of that day exploring Coruscant, even buying Anakin some ice cream and taking him to the Coruscant Zoo.

Anakin did not meet Feemor until two years after he became Obi-Wan's Padawan. Not a person of action, Feemor preferred to spend most of his duties offworld, helping manage the AgriCorps, something Obi-Wan claimed was a leftover habit from his previous life as a farmer. Of all of the "Jinn Padawans", Feemor had been the most warm and affectionate. The moment Obi-Wan had introduced him to the small boy, the blonde Jedi Knight gave one of the brightest smiles Anakin had yet to see on a Jedi, and pulled the child into a hug.

Anakin had blushed but gradually welcomed the embrace. After that day, Anakin had warmed up to Feemor rather quickly. Between Xanatos and Feemor, he spent more time with the latter. On occasions where Obi-Wan was preoccupied with 'adult' Jedi business and couldn't bring Anakin, he would leave the boy in the care of his eldest brother Padawan to help with the AgriCorps. It was a relaxing venture that Anakin had found calming.

Very quickly, Anakin had worked his way into both Jedi's hearts.

So when Obi-Wan came to them and informed them of what had happened, they were understandably furious.

They searched every possible lead, hitting every known Bando Gora stronghold and gathering whatever information they could from those locations. When they finally found Anakin, it was in a hidden smugglers' settlement on the forest world of Myrkr. They fought their way through numerous pirate and malcontents before they finally found Anakin locked away in a cold cell in the lowest levels of the bunker. Naked, bruised, beaten, cut... and with child.

The boy had been traumatized beyond measure when they found him, so much that he didn't even register that it was them and panicked when they approached him. After managing to remove the Force-inhibiting collar from his neck and letting him readjust to having the Force returned to him after so many weeks, Obi-Wan was able to reestablish their bond and lull him into a sense of security he had been lacking for so long. Then he gathered Anakin into his arms and let him cry into his chest.

When they returned to the temple, Anakin had seen a number of mind healers to help him recover from the trauma. It hadn't been an easy process, and things were only further complicated when the truth of his pregnancy came to life. There were many in the Council, Master Windu among them, who believed that the child should be aborted, both because it was a constant reminder of Anakin's ordeal and because the presence of a child would risk the possibility of attachments.

Upon hearing about this, Anakin was understandably distraught. Obi-Wan, Xanatos, and Feemor were equally as perturbed and furious. The following audience had been a tense screaming match between Obi-Wan and the Council, culminating in the former announcing his intention to take his Padawan and leave. The Council had looked highly affronted, save for a select few such as Yoda, Plo Koon, Shaak Ti, and Kit Fisto, who all looked resigned, sad, and understanding. Obi-Wan could not bring himself to care. He left his lightsaber at their feet, and left with Anakin. Xanatos and Feemor followed shortly after.

That had been five months ago, and they had all acclimated to life on Naboo quite well. Padme had provided the means for them to settle there, the Jinn Property having been situated on a land once owned by the Naberrie family. She had always been such a good friend.

Anakin turned when he felt the footsteps approaching, and perked up happily.

"Obi-Wan," he said, voice soft and happy. "You're back!"

"Of course I am, dear one," Obi-Wan chuckled, hugging the boy as he stood up. They parted, and he took a moment to look Anakin over. The boy's hands hands had yet to leave his swollen stomach, remaining there almost protectively. "How do you feel?"

"Okay. They haven't kicked yet."

"I'm sure they will soon, Ani. Now why don't you come inside? Fee is cooking stew."

Anakin gasped happily, smiling. He always loved Feemor's cooking, his shaak and vegetable stew one of his particular favorites. They returned to the kitchen, Obi-Wan helping Anakin up onto one of the island chairs so that the younger could join in the conversations they would have with Feemor. About ten minutes later, Xanatos entered, wearing only a pair of black trousers. He was shirtless, his torso glistening with sweat and a towel around his shoulders. He smiled.

"Hello, Ani," he said, reaching forward to brush his fingers through Anakin's hair.

Obi-Wan and Feemor both watched on fondly as Anakin leaned into the touch shyly. “Hi, Xan.”

As Xanatos sat down, Feemor clapped. “Now that everyone is here, shall we eat?”

Obi-Wan and Xanatos murmured in agreement while Anakin nodded eagerly. "Yes, please!"

Dinner proceeded peacefully, the four of them chatting back and forth about their day, how they would want to spend the following week, etc. Feemor casually reminded Anakin to remember to call his mother, Obi-Wan chastised Xanatos for tracking dirt in the hall after he came back from his workout and then fretted over Anakin not eating enough milk and lentils for the baby. Anakin blushed and whined in embarrassment, while Xanatos laughed and Feemor internally cooed.

It was all so peaceful and warm. Completely unlike the life they left behind on Coruscant. There were still moments where Anakin would whimper and cry from nightmares and memories of his time as a prisoner of the Bando Gora. But the love of his brothers and the instinctual maternal devotion he now had to his unborn child were slowly but surely bringing him back to them.

Nothing was going to suddenly magically be okay. They probably wouldn't be for a long time. But this was a start. A really, good start.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin has been gaining some weight as a result of his pregnancy. Xanatos tries to be helpful.

Anakin's pregnancy had gone on smoothly so far. It was shortly after the end of his second trimester, though, that his brother Padawans had begun to notice his added weight.

While the boy himself vehemently denied it, it was becoming increasingly obvious that Anakin's pregnancy was making things a little difficult for him in a number of ways. The mood swings and cravings were one thing, but the extra weight he had gained had made his current wardrobe increasingly uncomfortable. Nothing he had seemed to fit anymore, and he had even torn one of his shirts when he tried putting it on. To his embarrassment, he had little choice but to spend most of his time at home in just his underwear, and even those had started to get tight. At night, he slept naked, and there were obvious marks from the elastic of his undergarments visible.

His brothers had suggested going out and buying him maternity clothes, but Anakin had absolutely refused. He already got a few jokes regarding his masculinity due to his pregnancy. He didn't want to be demeaned any further.

It all came to a head one afternoon though. Obi-Wan and Feemor were away for the day, having left to attend a swap meet at a nearby Gungan settlement, leaving Xanatos to look after Anakin.

Xanatos was in the sitting room of the Jinn Property, seated on the rug in the middle of the room in deep meditation. He opened one eye when he felt a large Force presence enter the room, smiling softly when he saw Anakin enter, clad in a pair of white boxer brief shorts. His hands resting on his stomach, the fifteen year old blushed and looked down apologetically. Chuckling softly, Xanatos sent Anakin a lilt of gentle assurance through the Force, letting him know that he was fine, making the boy smile softly and waddle into the kitchen to get a snack.

The second eldest of their little family returned to his meditation, albeit briefly, as he was soon interrupted again. This time by a loud tearing sound.

Eyes blinking open, Xanatos looked toward the kitchen where Anakin was standing, back pressed against the countertop with his hands covering his rear. At his feet was some pieces of a cookie he had been eating. He had the brightest of blushes on his face, looking mortified, and Xanatos knew at that moment what had happened.

"Ani," Xanatos said, trying not to grin. "Did your underpants rip?"

"No!" Anakin quickly denied, shaking his head.

"Anakin."

Anakin grimaced and looked down. "Yeah, yeah they did. I-I was just bending over to clean up the cookie..."

Xanatos chuckled, standing up and shaking his head. He used the Force to quickly clear up the mess on the ground, before looking back at his little brother.

"We need to get you some maternity clothes, Anakin."

"No," Anakin said, glaring. "Maternity clothes are for girls. I'm not a girl, Xan."

"No, but you are pregnant, and pregnancy is a difficult process," Xanatos reminded, arms crossed. "We all just want you to feel comfortable, Anakin. None of your clothes fit anymore, and you can't leave the house with no pants on."

Anakin blushed again. "But, Xan..."

"Please, Ani," Xanatos begged.

Anakin bit his lip, speaking after a few seconds. "Fine. Just... nothing embarrassing. Please. Obi-Wan would never let me hear the end of it."

"When Feemor and Obi-Wan return, I'll head to Theed to find some clothes," Xanatos said, smiling. "And I promise I'll get you something you'll like. It's your seventh month, so I'll just get you a few shirts and some pants to wear until then. Oh, and I should probably get you some underwear. What you have now is obviously too tight."

Anakin blushed again at the thought of Xanatos buying him undergarments. Already he was going through the possible pieces that Xanatos would purchase, and he grew mortified as he envisioned a pair of frilly pink panties. The smirk that appeared on Xan's face informed Anakin that he had unintentionally passed that thought to him through their bond. Anakin could feel the mischief.

"No way!" Anakin hissed. "You're going to buy me the girliest underpants they have, aren't you."

"I cannot promise that Theed will have clothing that matches to your standards, Anakin," Xanatos said as honestly as he could. "You'll have to deal with whatever they have available."

"I don't care," Anakin said, crossing his arms stubbornly.

Xanatos frowned. "Anakin-"

"No!" Anakin snapped, and he most certainly did not stamp his foot. "Buy me something for boys or I won't wear it at all."

Xanatos pinched the bridge of his nose, and gave Anakin a hard, impatient glare. "Anakin, will you stop patronizing me? You'll wear what I buy you!"

At Xanatos' stern and crossed voice, Anakin's glare fell and he stepped back in slight fear. Almost instantly, Xanatos' hostility faded and a look of guilt crossed his eyes. He reached forward gently to apologize, but Anakin retreated again.

"Ani..."

Anakin ignored him, turning away while covering the tear in his underwear with as much dignity as he could. "Go buy whatever you want. I don't care."

Watching the boy return to his room sadly, Xanatos mentally berated himself for raising his voice at the boy when hostility, anger, and stress were the last things he needed after everything he had been through. Especially with a child on the way. Not wanting to disturb Anakin, however, Xanatos reluctantly returned to his meditation until Obi-Wan and Feemor returned.

When they finally did, Xanatos did as he promised and left for Theed. Anakin had remained in his room until they had returned, so he didn't see Xanatos off, and Xanatos tried not to feel hurt by that but knew he probably deserved it. Wearing his most casual robes, Xanatos arrived in Theed via the family's airspeeder, and perused the streets of the great city until he found a clothing shop in the main district.

It luckily didn't take him long to find the section of the store that housed maternity garb. He just wasn't expecting such a large selection. There were stylish maternity dresses, leggings, nursing bras and more of the like. Sadly, he wasn't totally sure what to buy Anakin without inciting the teen's ire once again.

"Excuse me, sir, can I help you?"

Xanatos turned, having not sensed anyone approaching while in thought. One of the store employees, a young Nubian female, smiled politely at him. She glanced behind him at the wall where various maternity dresses were hanging.

"Ah. Shopping for your wife?" she said with understanding. "Don't worry, sir. We get a lot of expecting fathers here."

"My wife? I-Oh no, no," Xanatos said quickly. "I'm not married. I'm just here for my broth-sister."

"Your brother?" the girl said, frowning in confusion. Then realization dawned on her. "Oh, I see. He's a bearer?"

Xanatos nodded. It was nice to see that despite their rarity on Naboo, the people here still had a decent enough understanding of male bearers.

"Yes. He's about seven months along, and we've put off buying him maternity clothes for a while. Though, I don't really think he'd be thrilled if I bought any of... this."

He motioned toward the more feminine maternity wear that was adorning the various wracks and walls. The girl giggled, nodding.

"I get that. Lucky for you, I think we have just the thing for him."

About two hours later, Xanatos finally returned home to find Feemor and Obi-Wan outside working on the garden together like they did every few days before sundown. Carrying a bag below his arm, Xanatos had barely entered the house before he was tackled hugged by a short, blonde blur.

"Oof! Ani-?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Anakin cried, burying his face in Xanatos' robes. "I didn't mean to get angry, I know you were just trying to help. Please don't be angry with me..."

Heart melting, Xanatos laughed and wrapped his arms around his littlest brother Padawan. "Ani, I'm not angry. You had every reason to be upset. I was... acting like an arse to you. It's a force of habit I guess."

Sniffling, Anakin looked up with a teary smile. "Obi-Wan did say you use to be an arse to him when he was a Padawan."

"Language," Feemor called from outside.

Snorting, Xanatos ignored him and ruffled Anakin's hair.

"Well I'm glad to see you," Xanatos said, lifting up the bag. "Because I got you some clothes like I promised."

Biting his lip, Anakin sat down on the couch, looking through the clothes. There was a purple sleeveless tunic with a black sash that tied under the chest above where the baby bump would be. With it was a pair of black pants that were designed to expand with the bump. And the fabric was so soft.

"Well," Anakin mumbled. "At least it's not drag. Thanks, Xan."

"No problem, Anakin," Xanatos said softly, smiling.

Smiling back, Anakin looked back in the bag, frowning when he noticed something missing.

"I thought you said you were gonna buy me underpants too?"

Anakin did NOT like the smirk that suddenly appeared on Xanatos face, and his heart filled with dread when the black haired ex-Jedi pulled out a second, smaller bag from beneath his cloak.

"I know you told me not to," Xanatos said cheekily as he reached into the bag. "But I simply couldn't resist."

He reached into the bag, and pulled out a pair of pink, frilly pink maternity panties. With heart-shaped dots all over it.

"XAN!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day the family moved in. This is set before the first two chapters.

"Hey!" Xanatos yelled as he hefted a bag of essentials out of the landspeeder and then tossed it at Obi-Wan.

"Hey," Obi-Wan echoed with a smirk as he caught it, placing it on the ground by his feet alongside more pieces of luggage.

"Hey!" Feemor said, tossing another bag.

"Hey," Obi-Wan caught it.

However, just as he began putting it down, Xanatos gave a wicked smirk as he quickly picked one up and tossed it at Obi-Wan, putting some Force into the throw.

"Hey!"

"Oof!" Obi-Wan gasped as the bag impacted with his crotch, and he fumbled before grabbing it. The third Jinn Padawan glared at his dark-haired older brother. "A little warning next time!"

"I was testing your senses. You've gotten sloppy," Xanatos teased.

"Enough, you two. We need to keep unpacking," Feemor advised.

The two elder ex-Jedi ceased their little game of throw and catch with Obi-Wan in favor of simply unloading all of the luggage by hand. As the eldest three were busy unloading the landspeeder to prepare unpacking into their new home, the youngest of their little family had taken to exploring the surrounding vista. Leaving his sandals behind, Anakin walked along the small beach of the large lake that the Jinn Property overlooked, hands resting on his rounded stomach as he gazed at the shining waters and beautiful meadows surrounding it. He smiled. This could work. After everything that had happened with the Bando Gora and the fallout with the Jedi, this would do perfectly.

Anakin winced at the memory of his time with that twisted group of dark force users. Just saying the name to himself caused him to relive unpleasant memories. The pain, the violation, and the... the...

Anakin let off a soft gasp as he lifted a hand to his cheek, where traces of a deep cut wound were still visibly healing.

_In and out, Ani. In and out_.

Obi-Wan's words echoing in his mind prompted Anakin to take deep breaths and think of happy thoughts. Thoughts of his mother. His mother. He should call her. Let her know that he's okay. Since he was no longer a Jedi (Anakin was beginning to find that he wasn't as saddened by that particular shift in his life as he initially believed), that meant he no longer had to abide by any rules against past attachments.

The warmth that that revelation brought to him made Anakin smile, and he glanced back at his brother Padawans when he heard Obi-Wan screech indignantly, most likely at something Xanatos said. Sure enough, Obi-Wan was yammering something to Xanatos, who merely laughed boisterously as Feemor tried to diffuse it.

Giggling, Anakin turned his attention back to the beach.

"Enjoying the scenery?"

Anakin nearly jumped, having not sensed anyone approaching. He turned around to see a young male humanoid standing a few feet from him. Anakin didn't recognize his species. Aside from his shape and feature looking identical to a human, this male had blue skin and eyes as red as blood. His had short, neatly combed black hair, and age-wise, he looked to be a year or so older than Anakin. He wore a set of white casual wear bearing some alien symbol Anakin did not recognize.

The young stranger gave a friendly smile.

"Apologies. I did not mean to startle you."

Anakin blushed. He had... a very nice voice. Deep, melodious, with an accent that almost sounded royal.

"I-It's okay," Anakin said shyly, rubbing his stomach absently.

The blue boy folded his hands behind his back, and seemed to examine Anakin in a way that made the boy blush, shifting his feet in the sand slightly.

"You do not dress like the other Nubians I have met, and you speak differently," he noted. "Are you a tourist, or are you here on business?"

"Oh, neither. I just moved here with my brothers. That's my house there," Anakin pointed to the Jinn household. Then he awkwardly extended his hand to the blue male. "I-I'm Anakin Skywalker."

Anakin briefly worried that handshakes weren't part of this young man's cultural customs, but relaxed when he took the offered hand and shook it.

"A pleasure," he practically purred, and by the Force did Anakin like the sound of his voice! "I'm Mitth'raw'nuruodo."

Anakin blinked twice. "Mi... Meeth... Mithrandir...?"

The other male chuckled. "Mitth'raw'nurudodo. If it helps, you can just call me Thrawn."

"Thrawn!" Anakin said, giggling with a smile, making Thrawn smile as well. "Okay. Hi, Thrawn, it's real nice to meet you!"

"Likewise, Anakin Skywalker," Thrawn said, letting go.

"So, are you a tourist? I-I'm just guessing since you asked and... well, I've never seen anyone who lives on this planet that isn't a human or a Gungan."

"Not exactly. I am here as an attendant for the Eighth Ruling Family of the Chiss Ascendancy. Since I turned twelve last week, I am old enough to partake in my society's more mature operations."

Anakin's head reared back in surprise. "Twelve? You're twelve?! But... but you look-"

"Like I am your age?" Thrawn finished with a smirk. "My species ages faster than yours. We reach biological maturity at age ten."

"Oh," Anakin said lamely, unsure what to say. "Well, cool. You look great! I-I mean...!"

Thrawn couldn't help but chuckle. "It's okay. So, I see you are expecting. A little odd for someone at your age to be bearing a child, is it not?"

Anakin's smile fell and his hands went up to his stomach almost protectively. "Yeah... I, I don't really wanna talk about it. Sorry."

"Don't be. I shouldn't have said anything," Thrawn quickly said. He smiled kindly. "I'm sure you will do fine."

The smile returned, as well as feeling of... something in Anakin's heart that grew as he and Thrawn gazed at each other. The silence was eventually broken when Thrawn cleared his throat.

"Well, ah, I best get back to my dwelling. My company will not appreciate me leaving them for too long," Thrawn said, and bowed. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Anakin Skywalker."

"It was a pleasure meeting you too!" Anakin said happily. "Will you be around here long? Maybe we can hang out some?"

"I am here for a week more at least. Perhaps I will stop by," Thrawn promised.

"Great," Anakin said, and he and Thrawn parted ways.

Five minutes later, Anakin returned to the Jinn Property to find his brothers had unloaded the landspeeder and moved everything inside.

"Hi, everyone!" he said, feeling chipper.

"Hello, Anakin," Feemor said warmly.

"What's got you so happy?" Xanatos asked from his spot lounging on the couch. The boy was practically radiating positive emotions through the Force.

"I just made a new friend," Anakin explained as he sat by his elder brother Padawan. "A boy by the lake. He's visiting Naboo."

Obi-Wan, who had been moving some suitcases into one of the bedrooms, stumbled and froze. He turned to Anakin.

"A boy?" he repeated, tone hard. "You met a boy, Ani?"

Oblivious to Obi-Wan's tone. "Yeah! He was real nice. His name was Thrawn and he said he was from the... the Eighth Family?"

"Oh, the Eighth Ruling Family? From the Chiss Ascendancy?" Feemor asked as he poured drinks for everyone.

"Yeah, that's it! You know them?"

"Not personally, but the Chiss Ascendancy lives close to this region of the galaxy. I've heard they have been negotiating in trade disputes with the Royal House of Naboo," Feemor explained.

"You met a boy, Anakin?" Obi-Wan repeated, ignoring the rest of the conversation.

This time, Anakin did seem to catch onto the tenseness in Obi-Wan's question. Xanatos and Feemor both frowned.

"Uh, yeah?" Anakin said nervously. "Is... is something wrong, Obi?"

Whatever Obi-Wan was about to say was cut off by Feemor. "Ani, why don't you go pick out a room for yourself? There's five bedrooms, and I thought I'd let you choose one first."

Anakin's eyes lit up and he got up with some assistance from Xanatos. "Really? Wow, thanks, Fee!"

Feemor smiled. "Of course. Come on, I'll show you..."

As Feemor led Anakin into the back of the house where the bedrooms were, Xanatos snorted, and smirked at Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan glared. "Stop it. I know you think the same!"

"I didn't say anything," Xanatos retorted, sipping his glass of wine.

Obi-Wan just grumbled. He would have to look into this... Chiss boy. Boys were the last thing he wanted on Anakin's mind.


End file.
